My Protector
by mangobanana
Summary: Everyone is turning against them and as they try to figure out what is going on, all they have left is each other. IchiRuki.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or the characters associated with it… :(

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**My Protector**

**Chapter One**

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"Kuchiki Rukia, as punishment we have decided to strip you of your shinigami powers and exile you from Sereitei" captain Yamamoto's voice echoed over the meeting hall.

Rukia stood still, her eyes glazed over deep in thought, '_this isn't right…isn't this what Ichigo had tried to prevent?' s_he asked herself _'were all her friends efforts to save her in vain?' _Rukia looked around the meeting hall, all the captains were present, but none would make eye contact with her. She glanced at her brother who held an expressionless stare. Slowly she returned her gaze to the first division captain who was still blabbering about upholding the laws of the Soul Society.

"Do you have anything you wish to say?" Yamamoto queried. Rukia straightened and lifted her head defiantly, she was not looking forward to her power being taken, apparently it was not the most enjoyable experience one could undergo but at least she wasn't being executed.

"I accept my punishment" she stated simply, mentally sighing at the whole situation it was just too unbelievable to take seriously. Her mind wandered to a certain orange haired boy and was amused by the fact that he didn't have clue that this was happening. _At least he's safe… _she thought and then realized that captain Yamamoto was talking again.

"Very well, I will now strip your powers from you" he stated as he approached the small shinigami. Clenching her fists Rukia watched emotionlessly as he unsheathed his Zanpaktou. '_Something is not right…' _with a flash of steel and an immense pain Rukia felt her consciousness slowly drift into darkness.

'_Ichigo…'_

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Karakura town was eerily quiet Ichigo noted while walking along an empty street on his way home from school. No people, no wandering spirits, not even a hollow it was just plain creepy. Ever since they had rescued Inoue from Hueco Mundo the hollow activity had died right down. This was making Ichigo incredibly tense and moody. The lack of his favourite little shinigami (although he would never say it to her face) was making him even more depressed. He wished Rukia didn't have to keep running off to the Soul Society but that was a bit selfish of him to want her to spend all her time with him. Even though he would never admit it, he had grown incredibly attached to Rukia and hoped that she would come back soon.

The chilly winter weather wasn't helping his bad mood either. Something icy touched his cheek and he looked up and saw that snow was gently starting to drift down from the sky. It was as if the sky was crying tears of ice. He placed his hand out in front of him and watched as a snowflake delicately landed on his palm. It reminded him of Rukia, cold yet delicate, intricate and beautiful. _'God, since when did I become such a sentimental idiot?!' _he scolded himself mentally. If Rukia knew what he was thinking right now he was sure he wouldn't live to see the next day, but Rukia wasn't here so he guessed it was ok. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her? It was like there was something in the back of his mind signalling him to think about her.

It had been a tremendous struggle rescuing Inoue and bringing her back. Ichigo had barely managed to kill that psycho-maniac Grimmjow, but somehow they had all made it back and had not been pursued in the process, which was surprising to say the least. Rukia almost hadn't made it, her reiatsu was nearly undetectable and her wounds were so bad Ichigo almost mistook her for dead the moment he laid eyes on her.

_**Flashback**_

_**Ichigo felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest. He knelt down next to Rukia's battered and bruised body and gently rolled her onto her back.**_

"_**Ichigo?" her voice was barely audible but he heard it. **_

"_**I'm here Rukia" Ichigo said taking her hand tenderly in his.**_

"_**Have you found Inoue?" she asked him quietly. **_

"_**I'm here Kuchiki-san, I'm going to heal you now okay?" replied Orihime from behind Ichigo. **_

"_**Ah," Rukia smiled weakly up at Ichigo "Now I know that I have somewhere to leave my heart…" and with that her eyes closed as she fell into unconsciousness. **_

_**End Flashback**_

'_What had she meant "I have somewhere to leave my heart"?' _He hadn't had the chance to ask her since she had immediately returned to the Soul Society. Ichigo was now thoroughly confused. As he pondered over the meaning of her words he failed to notice the figure that had appeared about twenty metres in front of him. It wasn't for another ten metres until Ichigo realised he wasn't alone. He was very much surprised to see Kuchiki Byakuya standing in front of him holding an unconscious Rukia in his arms.

_To be continued…._

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**AN:** Hehehe, well this is my first fic and I'm not sure if it's that good…. I have a plan on where this story is going but if anyone has any ideas to help it on its way it would be greatly appreciated. Uh, please review if you want me to continue the story. Love MB xo


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Sadly Bleach isn't mine and if it was there would be a bit more romance (-;

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**My Protector**

**Chapter Two**

"Byakuya?" Ichigo said dumbly, completely taken aback by who was standing in front of him. "W-what are you doing here?" he asked taking a quick glance at Rukia. She was wearing the familiar white robes that he had seen her wear when she had first given him her power and again when she had been locked up in Senzaikyu.

"Kurosaki Ichigo" Byakuya replied in a monotone voice. "I…" he paused as if deciding what words he should use "I have a favour to ask of you". "I wish for Rukia to stay here in the real world with you" it was more of a demand than a question.

"Uh, sure" Ichigo said. That was no problem seeing as Rukia practically lived with him anyway. "What happened to her?" Ichigo asked once again his eyes lingered to Rukia's unconscious form.

"Her powers have been stripped" he continued before Ichigo could interrupt "but I believe that her ability to become a shinigami may be able to be restored." "Seeing, as she has spent so much time around you, it seems that Rukia has absorbed some of your reiatsu" explained Byakuya. "When Captain Yamamoto went to destroy her Saketsu and Hakusui a tiny shred of her reiatsu hid itself inside your reiatsu deep inside her soul." Ichigo kind of understood what he was saying, it was the same as when Byakuya had tried to destroy his own shinigami powers.

"Why did Yamamoto take her power?" Ichigo asked angrily clenching his fists.

"The reason is still unclear even to me, but I'm sure Rukia will give you full details when she awakens, please take her" said Byakuya placing Rukia in Ichigo's arms.

'_I am always surprised by how light she is' _Ichigo thought.

"Kurosaki, eventually they will realise she is missing from the Soul Society, currently they believe her to be somewhere in Rukongai…" "I had Urahara Kisuke specially make that Gigai for Rukia; it suppresses reiatsu and is basically untraceable, but evntually someone will come looking for her."

"I see, don't worry about Rukia" said Ichigo "I'll protect her" and he moved to leave but was stopped.

"Here take this" said Byakuya handing Ichigo a bag "it contains Rukia's possessions." "Something is afoul in Sereitei and I am going to uncover what it is" and with that Byakuya disappeared from sight.

Ichigo hurried back to his house which was quite awkward carrying Rukia, her bag and his own school bag. Somehow he managed to make it home, luckily not encountering anyone on the way. He entered his house to find that nobody was home. He made his way into his room and dropped the bags on the floor. Then he gently placed Rukia on his bed and covered her with a blanket. He stood watching her and noticed a bruise on her left cheek. _'I wonder how that happened' _he slowly reached out to touch her cheek his fingers lightly tracing her jaw line, her skin soft against his.

"Ichigo!" He jumped around to see Kon hurdling towards him. He greeted Kon with a punch to the face which sent him flying around Ichigo's room. "Ichigo you're so mean!" whined Kon.

"Whatever…" Ichigo replied. Kon just mumbled incoherently when he suddenly noticed who was tucked up in Ichigo's bed.

"Nee-san!" Kon flew towards Rukia but was grabbed by Ichigo and tossed out the window.

"Idiot" muttered Ichigo turning his attention back to Rukia. He grabbed the chair from his desk and pulled it next to his bed. Sighing he sat down contemplating what the events of the afternoon. He was angry at the Soul Society for taking away Rukia's power and even angrier that they didn't seem to have a reason for doing so. He was also concerned that Rukia had yet to wake up and wondered what they could have possibly done to knock her out for this long. Ichigo was seriously considering going to the Soul Society demanding an explanation and beating the hell out of the pompous first captain. Ichigo decided against it though, he had told Byakuya that he would protect Rukia, and dashing off to the Soul Society leaving her here helpless probably wasn't the best way of protecting her. _'I will not let anything happen to her again' _he thought _'I will protect her, no matter what.' _

Rukia awoke early the next morning. _'What… uhg, where am I?' _Sitting up she realized she was in Ichigo's room. Ichigo had fallen asleep on a chair next to the bed. A small smile crept onto her face as she watched the sleeping boy. _'How did I get here?' _she wondered _'and how long have I been here?' _She shifted slightly and a jolt of pain shot through the right side of her abdomen. Pushing the blanket off her and sparing a quick glance at Ichigo she undid her robe and examined her wounds. Someone had treated her; she had bandages around her abdomen and around her chest. She had known that she had been stabbed in the left side of her chest just underneath her collarbone but hadn't realised she'd been stabbed in her gut as well. Blood had seeped through the bandages and she made a mental note to ask Ichigo for some fresh bandages later. Doing her robe back up she looked over at Ichigo and giggled softly at the little bit of drool hanging out the corner of his mouth.

Ichigo woke up hearing laughter. Opening his eyes he saw Rukia sitting up giggling at _him_.

"What's so funny?" he grumbled rubbing sleep from his eyes as he stood up.

"You were drooling" Rukia laughed "you looked _so _funny."

"I was not" he said quickly wiping his mouth on his sleeve. This only made Rukia laugh more.

"You were too!"

"Was not" he argued back.

"Was too."

"Ah whatever!" Ichigo said giving up.

"Ha another win goes to Rukia!" she stated triumphantly folding her arms over her chest. This action however didn't agree with her chest wound and she immediately gasped in pain. Ichigo didn't miss the gasp or the pained look that flashed across her face and was by her side instantly.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked concern in his eyes.

"It's nothing, just a small cut" Rukia said placing a hand over her injury.

"Let me see" said Ichigo.

"No it's nothing, I'm fine" Rukia said stubbornly wincing slightly as she moved.

"…Please?" Rukia looked up she had never seen Ichigo with such a pleading look in his eyes.

"Fine" she huffed and slid her robe off her shoulder just far enough for him to where the wound was. One look at the bloodied bandages and Ichigo dashed out of the room. He returned minutes later with a bundle of clean bandages and a medical kit. Rukia sat silently as Ichigo tended her injury. He was muttering about how a 'small cut' was different from a deep gash. She decided it was probably best not to mention her other injury because that would require her to take her robe off completely for Ichigo to tend it. The thought made her blush and luckily Ichigo was so engrossed in treating her wound that he didn't notice.

"There" Ichigo said looking up when he finished.

"Thanks" she said giving him a small smile.

They stared at each other for a while before Ichigo broke the silence.

"Is that from when…?" Ichigo didn't finish his sentence.

"…When my powers were stripped?" she supplied, "yeah it is…"

All of a sudden she felt really tired and a yawn escaped her lips.

"You should get some more rest" Ichigo told her "I have to get ready for school anyway." Rukia nodded as she let out another yawn lay back down in Ichigo's bed. She smiled, the sheets smelled like Ichigo. She snuggled further into the sheets as sleep overtook her.

Ichigo returned to his room after eating breakfast with a glass of juice and some toast for Rukia. She had already fallen asleep so he put the food on the desk next to the bed for her to find when she woke up. He changed into his uniform and grabbed his schoolbag. Noticing Rukia's bag on the floor and picked it up and put it on the end of the bed hoping she would notice it if needed. With that done he left on his way to school.

_To be continued…_

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**AN:** Well that's the second chapter! Hope you liked it. Thankyou to the reviewers without you I wouldn't be motivated to write so fast! I am struggling a bit to write longer chapters -writing in quantity has never been one of my strengths. I really do appreciate reviews so again thanks a bunch! MB xo


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Sorry about the wait on this chapter but I had an extreme case of writer's block. I apologise in advance for the sucky-ness of this chapter, but it will get better soon (I hope!)

**Disclaimer:** …….bursts into tears

**My Protector**

**Chapter Three**

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The day went by slowly for Ichigo. He tried to concentrate on his schoolwork but his mind kept wandering to Rukia. '_Ah! She'll be fine stop worrying' h_e told himself. '_What if a Hollow comes after her? What if someone from the Soul Society comes after her? She's totally defenceless! Not to mention wounded. But she's in that Gigai, no Hollow or Shinigami would be able to detect her… right?' _

"Iiiiichigo!" he was interrupted from his thoughts by Keigo. "Come eat lunch with us!" said Keigo as he danced around Ichigo.

"Hmm yeah okay" Ichigo replied distractedly.

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Back in Ichigo's room Rukia woke up again to find that she was rather hungry. Noticing the toast and glass of juice on the desk she silently thanked Ichigo. The toast had gone cold long ago but Rukia didn't care and wolfed it down with world record speed. (Anything can taste good when you're hungry.) Once she had washed down the toast with the juice, Rukia looked around the room.

Although it had only been a week ago that she had returned to the Soul Society, it felt like she hadn't been in Ichigo's room for months. Rukia didn't know why but she always felt most secure in Ichigo's room. When she was sleeping in Yuzu and Karin's room she had a lot of trouble getting to sleep, but whilst she'd been sleeping in Ichigo's closet she would fall asleep almost instantly.

Rukia was diverted from her thoughts by a familiar beeping sound coming from a bag on the end of the bed. Grabbing the bag she emptied its contents onto the bed. The beeping noise that had been coming from her phone halted. _'Someone must've taken care of the Hollow, probably Ichigo'. _She sighed and examined the items that were laid out in front of her realising that everything that had been in the bag belonged to her.

There were two boxes containing two silk kimonos that had been given to her courtesy of her brother. The first one was the palest of pinks adorned with sakura trees near the base and sakura petals placed gracefully all over the body of the garment. The second kimono was sapphire blue and slightly simpler than the first. A pure white blanket of snow ran along the hem of the bottom of the kimono as well as the sleeves. A white butterfly was located on the bottom left corner and delicate little snowflakes ran down the arms. Rukia thought that she didn't deserve to wear such beautiful things but had accepted them not wanting to offend her brother.

Putting the kimonos aside, she picked a blue dress Ishida had made her when he was in the Soul Society. It had had no use in Soul Society because it did not fit in with the clothes worn there _'but it will come in handy now' _Rukia contemplated, folding it up and putting it with the kimonos.

The next item that caught her attention was a cute little stuffed animal, a rabbit to be precise. Rukia lifted the little animal up and gave it a hug. It had soft white fur and was wearing a little pink dress. It was about three quarters the size of Kon and had cute little white wings sprouting from its back. Rukia absolutely loved the small bunny and remembered how she got it.

_**Flashback**_

_**Everyday Ichigo and Rukia would walk home together after school. Sometimes their route varied due to an appearance of a Hollow, but usually they walked home the same way. Everyday they would pass a small craft shop with various objects displayed in the window. One day Rukia noticed the adorable little toy sitting in the corner of the shop window. Ichigo realised that Rukia wasn't walking with him anymore and went back to inspect what had captured her interest. Seeing what she was staring at he wondered what it was about rabbits that had her so captivated.**_

"_**Oi! Rukia! You coming or not?" he said loudly waving a hand in front of her face.**_

_**Snapping out of her reverie she replied "Of course I'm coming you idiot, no need to yell!"**_

"_**I wasn't yelling midget! Besides you were the one who was spacing out!" Ichigo exclaimed. **_

"_**Look you yelled again!" She said glaring at him "and I was not spacing out!"**_

"_**Well maybe I yell so my words can get through your thick head!" That line earned him a punch to the jaw. **_

"_**You're the one with the thick head!" she stated "no matter how many times I punch your thick head you never seem to learn!" They continued to argue for the rest of the journey home.**_

_**Ichigo however didn't fail to notice that every time they passed by that shop, Rukia would pause briefly to look in the shop window. A week went by and as they were walking home Rukia stopped in front of the shop again, unable to see the bunny anywhere.**_

"_**What's wrong?" asked Ichigo.**_

"_**Ah, nothing" Rukia replied trying to hide the sadness that her favourite toy had been bought by somebody else. **_

"_**Well keep walking then" Ichigo said heading home once again. Rukia silently followed.**_

_**Back in Ichigo's room Rukia changed (in the closet) from her uniform into a dress. When she emerged Ichigo was rummaging though his drawer. Silently she sat on his bed with a manga. Ichigo found what he was looking for and brought out a brown paper bag.**_

"_**Oi, Rukia…" Ichigo said somewhat awkwardly.**_

"_**Hn?" she looked up and Ichigo pressed the bag into her arms. "What's this?" she asked confused.**_

"_**Uh …it's a gift" Ichigo mumbled.**_

_**Rukia, puzzled by Ichigo's uncomfortableness, looked into the bag and let out a squeal of delight. Ichigo let a small smile escape as he watched the raven haired girl's eyes light up as she pulled out the toy. He was almost knocked off balance when she launched herself at him to engulf him in a hug. **_

"_**Thankyou so much Ichigo" Rukia talked into his shirt. Ichigo was glad Rukia wasn't looking at him because she might've seen him blushing –then his image would've been ruined forever! **_

"_**Don't mention it, I saw you looking at it every time we passed that shop, and seeing as you don't have any money…" he trailed off embarrassed. Rukia looked up at him, her arms still wrapped around his waist. Ichigo looked into her violet eyes, he had never seen her so happy. **_

_**Rukia realised that Ichigo's head was becoming closer and closer to her own and felt her face getting flushed. **_

_**Knock, Knock, Knock "Onii-chan do you have any laundry?" Yuzu interrupted from outside the bedroom. Rukia and Ichigo suddenly realised what they were doing and jumped apart, Rukia clambered into the closet just before Yuzu poked her head in. **_

_**End Flashback **_

Rukia blushed when she thought about it. They hadn't talked about what had almost happened that day and wasn't planning to anytime soon. She looked at what was left on the bed. There was a silver chain necklace with a pendant that had the Kuchiki House Crest emblazoned on it, a butterfly hair ornament, her Chappy Gikongai _('much good that's going to do me') _and a slightly crinkled photo of her and Ichigo (which had been taken when she had insisted on Ichigo showing her how a 'camera' worked). _'Whoever packed this for me knew I wasn't going to be returning for a long time'. _For some reason Rukia had a sudden urge to take a shower. Ichigo had mentioned that his father had to go out of town for a medical conference and that Yuzu and Karin were staying with friends so nobody would be back till the end of the week.

Getting up she grabbed a towel and the bundle of bandages Ichigo had left from the morning and went to the bathroom.

Rukia undressed and removed her bandages. Looking at herself in the mirror, she examined her wounds. Ichigo had done a pretty decent job of stitching up her shoulder. The gash above her hip wasn't life-threatening but it was incredibly painful. Entering the shower she gasped as the water ran over the injury. She buckled in pain at the unbearable stinging sensation. Eventually the wound became numb and she was able to stand up and wash herself. When she finished, Rukia dried and re-bandaged herself and made her way back to Ichigo's room.

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Ichigo sighed, school was over and he had barely managed to escape Keigo who wanted him to go to the arcade. There had been a Hollow a couple of blocks away during lunch time which he took care of easily. Honestly, he couldn't wait to get home and check up on Rukia. Ichigo hurried home, kicking of his shoes as he entered the house he ran up the stairs.

"Rukia, I'm ho-…" he froze mid sentence as he came face to face with Rukia who was wearing only a towel.

_To be continued..._

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**A/N: **I'm gonna leave it there for now. I know I did the classic "Ichigo buys Rukia a bunny thing" but it has its significance. Anyway, stuff is gonna start happening soon-ish. I'll update ASAP. By the way, I hope you like this story! Reviews are always appreciated too! –MB xo 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry about not updating for ages, but school holidays finished and I've been busy with school work amongst other things. I'm currently sick so I used it as a chance to do some more writing. Anyway, enough about me, here's the next chappie enjoy!

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**My Protector**

**Chapter Four **

"Rukia, I'm ho-…" he froze mid sentence as he came face to face with Rukia who was wearing only a towel, a very small towel at that. Ichigo spun around and exited the room slamming the door behind him the words _'thank god she had a towel on' _echoed through his mind. He was dreading the day when he would walk into his room and she was wearing less than that. Ichigo hated awkwardness and embarrassment and that sort of situation was sure to bring those feelings. Ichigo preferred to avoid situations like that. What pissed him off though, was the fact that he had almost walked in on a naked girl in _his _room. He supposed most guys would be pleased by that, but Ichigo respected women and their privacy. He also knew that even if he did try to sneak a peak at Rukia, it wouldn't be worth being decapitated by the short tempered Shinigami.

Rukia on the other hand couldn't understand why Ichigo had rushed out of the room. Confused, she quickly got dressed and went to find where he had gone off to. Rukia was surprised to see him standing outside the room with his back to the door.

Ichigo was still deep in thought but his thoughts were interrupted by a hand gently touching his arm. He turned to see a dressed Rukia looking at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

"What?" he grumbled.

"You're acting weird" she replied removing her hand and walking back into his room.

"I am not acting weird!" he stated.

"Hn" she said not convinced. Just as Ichigo was about to retort his substitute Shinigami badge started shrieking in alarm. "Hollow…" Rukia muttered with a tiny hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah, don't worry I'll take care of it" Ichigo said firmly. He took the badge pressed it against his chest forcing his Shinigami form to separate from his body. With a quick glance at Rukia, Ichigo took off through the window.

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Ichigo reached the scene just in time. A Hollow was just about to eat the soul of a man wearing a business suit.

Sensing Ichigo's presence the Hollow dropped the man's soul and went for Ichigo instead. Ichigo easily evaded the attack and with a swift slash cut the Hollow clean in half.

'_Too easy'_ he thought making his way toward the soul to perform Konsoh on it.

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**Somewhere in the shadows:**

"Target identified," said a deep mysterious voice to his partner "Kurosaki Ichigo, classification -unknown, threat -currently minimal."

"Strange..." stated a soft female voice. The male gave his partner a questioning look.

"She is not with him..." her monotone voice emotionless "let us return to present our report."

"Already?" he questioned "and here I was looking forward to spending some time with you" he added playfully.

The girl gave no indication of hearing him and in a flash disappeared from sight, the man following closely behind.

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Ichigo returned to his room to find Rukia sitting dejectedly on his bed.

"Oi, Rukia" he greeted her. She looked at him with scrutinizing eyes checking for injury.

"What you think I'm so weak I can't even handle a single Hollow anymore?" he said gruffly.

Affronted by his tone Rukia replied "Well I can never be sure with someone as dim-witted and thick-skulled as you, knowing you I wouldn't be surprised if you cut off your hand with your own Zanpakutou!"

"I'm not that careless midget!" he said scowling at her.

"Could've surprised me idiot!" she yelled back.

"You hungry?" he asked suddenly.

Rukia paused taking note of Ichigo's changing mood. _'Fool' she thought 'why does he always do that? Teasing and mocking me to being genuinely nice to me.' _

"Yeah..."

"Well then let's go and have dinner" he gave her one of his rare smiles "I'll cook."

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Rukia and Ichigo sat opposite each other eating their meals in comfortable silence.

"This is really good" Rukia complimented him.

"What's this?" he asked "the almighty Rukia is complimenting lowly Ichigo, what is the world coming to?" Rukia glared at him and was about to throw her chair at him when he continued speaking "it's not as good as my mom's cooking though."

"When she died, Yuzu wanted to do all the cooking" he stopped and to take a drink of water. He was surprised to see that Rukia was looking at him expectantly. "But she was very young and it wasn't safe to let her do everything on her own." Ichigo sighed "Anyway, I helped with the cooking until Yuzu was old enough to do it herself" he laughed "it was either that or putting up with my father's cooking experiments." Rukia observed Ichigo's paling face as he said his last statement.

"Ah, well like I said before this is really good" she smiled at him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked avoiding her compliment.

"Fine, I think I can come to school tomorrow" Rukia stated.

Ichigo wasn't happy with her response "I don't think that's such a good idea you're still recovering..."

"Didn't you hear me I said I'm fine, F-I-N-E" she glowered at him "besides I'm _not_ going to be sitting around the house all day doing nothing, I'll lose my sanity."

"Too late" Ichigo muttured.

Rukia smacked him over the head with her fist. "I heard that."

Ichigo sighed in resignation "All right if you're sure you're okay..."

"I'm sure" she said firmly.

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**A/N:** Now personally, I'm against bribing readers to review but… Please, please, please review! (Says the following with big sad puppy-dog eyes) I'll give you chocolate…. Don't like chocolate? How about bleach? No, not the anime or manga –a bottle of bleach so you can dye you hair to be like Ichigo! ...No? I know! I'll dress up as Renji and do an impersonation of him accidentally cutting off his own hand with Zabimaru for you?! (Laughs like a crazed lunatic, then suddenly snaps out of it).

Uh… sorry about that…. Moral to the story: Review and writer will not go insane.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** It's been a loooong time! But I'm really into Bleach at the moment and felt like coming back to this story. Forgive me; my brain may have turned to mush with age... So here goes.

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"For the final time, I told you I'm fine!" Rukia muttered angrily to Ichigo as they entered the school grounds. Ichigo just made a strange grumbling sound as he sulked behind her. '_Okay, so fine _was _a bit of an_ overstatement' Rukia thought inwardly. Her stomach wound was throbbing even after the pain medication Ichigo had given her. Rukia pushed the pain to the back of her mind and focused on the task ahead; School.

They entered the classroom together and were greeted by the familiar faces of Inoue, Ishida and Chad along with many others.

"Good Morning! Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san" Inoue said cheerfully as they walked up to the group.

"Inoue it's good to see you" Rukia replied with a smile "isn't that right Ichigo?!" she asked while elbowing him in the ribs in an attempt to snap him out of his sulky mood.

"Ah. Yeah..." Ichigo mumbled with furrowed brows. This was not the response Rukia had been hoping for, he hadn't retaliated at all to her attack. '_Damn fool, he's too worried about me_'. She sighed.

"What brings you back to the real world so soon" Ishida asked seriously whilst pushing his glasses up. Ichigo and Rukia exchanged a glance as the bell tolled to signal the beginning of class.

"We'll tell you later" Ichigo told them and the group dispersed to take their seats.

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Rukia clenched her teeth as she leant against the railing on top of the school roof. She felt like screaming but knew it wouldn't help, sweat was building up on her body and she wished she had listened to Ichigo not that she would ever admit that to him. Everyone was with them as she was going to explain what had happened.

Ichigo had noticed how uncomfortable Rukia was, her body had gone rigid, breathing heavily and it looked like she was barely holding herself up.

"I think I should take you home" Ichigo said to her quietly. She looked up at him and he could see the pain in depths of her violet eyes that she had been trying to hide.

"No" she breathed "first I must explain" she stated determinedly.

"So what happened?" Inoue asked oblivious to Rukia's injuries.

"The Soul Society stripped me of my powers and exiled me...." Rukia began.

"What?!" Ishida said as shocked as everyone else.

"Well, I had just gotten back from a mission when I was summoned in front of the captains. They said I had committed an unspeakable crime..." She laughed bitterly "treason apparently, and marked me as a traitor. Before I knew what was happening I blacked out and woke up in Ichigo's room..."She trailed off. "Sorry, that's not much to go by is it?" she added.

"Byakuya is the one who brought Rukia here." Ichigo continued solemnly "he seemed to think something was up and I guess that means we can't trust anyone from the Soul Society anymore..."

"We'll keep our guard up." Ishida stated and they all nodded.

Rukia's body couldn't stand the pain anymore and she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness.

"Rukia!" was all she heard before she faded into black.

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Rukia awoke once more to a familiar world the scent and surroundings that she knew all so well. Ichigo's bedroom. Rukia blinked a couple of times as she saw a scowling face looming above hers.

"Ichigo?" she said meekly to the furious boy.

"Don't Ichigo me!" he said as he crossed his arms.

"What did I do...? Hey! My injuries are healed!" She said somewhat surprised. However this seemed to add to Ichigo's temper.

"Inoue healed your _injuries_" Ichigo snarled at her. '_Shit_' Rukia thought as realisation hit her '_he found out about the other wound_!' She shrunk back in his bed.

"Why didn't you tell me you had another injury you idiot?!" he demanded.

"Oh come on Ichigo don't overreact, they weren't that serious..." Rukia bit her lip as she saw Ichigo's murderous expression.

"Weren't that serious?!" He threw his arms back in frustration. "From what Inoue told me they were pretty damn serious Rukia!" Rukia said nothing not wanting to add fuel to the fire.

"Look, you must _never_ keep something like that hidden from me. It's my job to protect you so how am I supposed to do that if you never tell me anything!?" He demanded.

"Ichigo..." She looked up into his eyes and saw that they were no longer angry but genuinely full of concern. "I'm sorry" she told him. His expression softened before he furrowed his brows again.

"Hmph, well I'm glad Inoue healed you so I can kick your stupid ass for being an idiot" He stated and Rukia jumped out of his bed and wacked him on the head.

"Who's gonna kick who's ass _idiot_?" she asked simply.

"OW! I'll get you for that!"

* * *

Meanwhile...

Two figures lurked in the shadows outside the Kurosaki household.

"Is it time..?" The man asked.

"Not yet" the girl replied.

"But-"

"Patience, the orders have yet to arrive" she cut him off.

"I'm so bored though, let's do something to fill in the time" he suggested cheekily.

"..."

"I thought you'd say that." He sighed.

**To Be Continued...**

**A/N: **Sorry, my writing's a bit rusty and that was a short chapter...


	6. Chapter 6

**My Protector Chapter Six**

* * *

"I don't think the Soul Society knows I'm here...yet" Rukia said out of the blue as she sat on the end of Ichigo's bed.

"What makes you say that?" Ichigo queried looking up from his homework.

"Well, we haven't seen anyone come looking for me" she stated.

"Why would they be looking for you? I thought you were exiled" he replied confused.

"To be exiled in the Soul Society isn't exactly as it sounds..." she met his eyes.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"There is a special prison where people who have committed the most serious of crimes are placed into isolation. Some say it is worse than being executed." Rukia shuddered.

"So you're saying that you were meant to be put into this prison?!" Ichigo demanded angrily.

"I've been thinking it over and I've come to the conclusion that Nii-sama must have interfered in some way and smuggled me out. I don't know how he pulled the wool over their eyes, but I imagine they will find out I am missing soon enough..."

Ichigo mulled this over. If that were true Rukia was soon to be in serious danger. Again. Ichigo also knew that when they realised she was gone the first place they would look would be his house.

His thoughts were interrupted "Ichigo?" he looked into Rukia's deeply troubled eyes. "I need to get my Shinigami powers back" and Ichigo nodded. Ichigo knew there was only one person to see regarding this matter.

"Let's go see Urahara."

* * *

The two teens entered the Urahara Shoten filled with a sense of determination.

"Ah Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san. Welcome! I was expecting you sooner..." Urahara's expression changed from cheerful to serious.

"So you know what's happened then?" Ichigo asked.

"My boy, I know _everything_" Urahara stated.

"So then you know how I can get my Shinigami powers back?" Rukia asked.

Urahara hesitated. "There is a way but it is extremely risky.... You could die."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take" she said fiercely.

"Rukia maybe this isn't such a good idea, you don't have to risk your life, I'm here to protect you anyway-" Ichigo began but she cut him off.

"No Ichigo, you can't run around protecting me forever. What about your family? Your friends? School? Your life?!" she demanded. "I would rather die than have you lose everything you have for me. I've made my decision no matter the consequences. I will get my powers back." Rukia held his gaze in her fierce violet eyes. Ichigo stared back at her for a long time. He knew how stubborn she was and that her decision was final but he was somewhat hurt that she didn't think he could protect her forever. '_I will'_ he decided internally. '_I will protect her forever, even if it means going to hell and beyond_' he swore in his head then added '_even if the short idiot thinks otherwise_.'

"Fine" he said "there's no stopping you I suppose, I guess I'll just have to support your decision."

"Thankyou, Ichigo" she said softly.

"Very well then!" Urahara chimed in "if you would both please follow me."

* * *

Rukia and Ichigo followed Urahara down the enormous ladder to the underground cavern where Tessai, Ururu and Jinta were waiting.

"This process" Urahara explained "is somewhat similar to when you retrieved you Shinigami powers Kurosaki." At this statement Ichigo paled and shot a worried glance at Rukia who was standing calmly. "This is a bit experimental because Kuchiki-san is not really a human, however I have found a way in which to infuse your soul with that of a still living human" he produce a small pill from his pocket that was glowing slightly bluish silver. "This pill has absorbed a maximum amount of human energy".

"Where did you get this energy from?" Rukia asked curiously.

Urahara smirked "from Kurosaki-san of course, his reiatsu leaks all over the place and so does his human energy, it was the best source for this experiment."

"What?! Who said you could do that?!" Ichigo glowered only to be wacked in the face with a broom handle by Jinta.

"Shut up and listen" he said.

"Anyway," Urahara continued "you basically become part human, understand?" Rukia nodded. "Of course this is only the first step in regaining your Shinigami powers..."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ichigo asked Rukia.

"Yes" she replied steadily.

"Well let's begin" Urahara said. "Let me help you out of that Gigai" he smiled and poked Rukia's forehead with his walking stick. Rukia's Gigai fell to the ground and Urahara handed Rukia the pill. Ururu presented Rukia with a glass of water so that Rukia could swallow it. Rukia accepted the glass took a deep breath and popped the pill in her mouth and washed it down.

"What happens now?" Ichigo asked.

"We wait, I'm not sure how long it will take as I have never done this before" Urahara explained.

"That's reassuring" Ichigo muttered.

The moment Rukia had swallowed the pill her body had started tingling. Subtly at first but gradually intensifying until it felt like high voltage electricity was coursing through her body and tearing up her insides. Her vision went and couldn't hear Ichigo call out to her when she collapsed. She wanted to scream but couldn't all she could do was feel her insides being torn up violently by these electric shocks. It was like being electrocuted over and over, like lightning zapping her a thousand times a second. She couldn't think all she could do was feel the electricity frying the very fibre of her being.

Ichigo had caught Rukia as she fell and examined her unconscious form.

"Is she alright?" he asked Urahara.

"Well she's not dead" he replied simply.

Suddenly Ichigo was flung back by an electric shock emitted from Rukia's body. "What the-?!" He stopped short as Rukia's began to glow in a bluish-silver light. The light grew consistently stronger until he was blinded and could no longer look directly at it. Then it disappeared completely and he heard Rukia gasp as she regained consciousness.

"Rukia!" Ichigo scrambled over to her and was shocked to see a broken chain hanging from her chest.

"C-can't breathe" Rukia gasped looking up at him frantically.

"It's okay Rukia, just calm down a bit" Ichigo said as he helped her up.

"Of course you'd have trouble breathing, now that you a normal Konpaku" Urahara stated "but you must overcome that because we do not have much time" he said looking at the chain on her chest. "Ururu, you're up."

"Yes" the small girl said. She bowed towards Rukia "nice working with you."

"Now Kuchiki-san please fight with her, and make it quick we really have less time than expected. The fight will end when either one of you can no longer move" Urahara said.

"What? But-!" Rukia jumped backwards as Ururu launched a powerful kick at her, smashing the ground her foot came into contact with. Rukia had no time to ask any questions as Ururu steadily attacked her throwing an assortment of punches and kicks. Ichigo stared at the familiar scene a little weirded out by what was happening and uncomfortable that Rukia was on the receiving end of possibly life-ending power attacks.

Rukia knew that if one of these attacks connected full force it would be over for her. As she was evading the attacks she realised that she was faster than Ururu, the girl was powerful but not as speedy. _'Here's my chance!_'As Ururu approached aiming another punch Rukia quickly ducked under it and knocked the girl's legs out from under her with a low sweeping kick. Rukia did not expect the girl to retaliate so quickly and her eyes widened in shock as she saw a punch go directly for her head. She was knocked off her feet not by the punch but by a different force. Ichigo had pushed her out of the way and was now lying on top of her. Rukia looked up and saw that Urahara had intercepted Ururu's punch. She turned her attention back to Ichigo who had put his hands on the ground either side of her head and had partially lifted himself of her. Though they didn't realise it, from everyone else's perspective they were in a very awkward position.

"That was close..." Ichigo breathed relieved. His face was hovering not too far from Rukia's.

She stared up into his relieved face "ah... thanks for that" she then laughed and Ichigo laughed too. Their eyes met for a moment.

"Ahem! "Cough! Cough!" Urahara interrupted and they both realised the position they were in and scrambled apart. "Stage two is now complete; let the final stage begin..."

**To Be Continued.....**

**A/N:** If you like, please review...


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